Francis Tuttle's partnership with MIT program offers Oklahoma students new opportunities
Oklahoma is now getting a piece of the PiE.
Francis Tuttle Technology Center was invited to join a program by Lemelson-MIT that expands revolutionary education opportunities. As an inaugural member — and the only member from Oklahoma — of Partners In Invention Education (PiE), Francis Tuttle has direct access to Invention Education resources and support.
"We are excited to partner with Lemelson-MIT Program. This will serve as a hub of creation, innovation, and collaboration for our students, corporate clients, and the communities we serve," Jaared Scott, Francis Tuttle Deputy Superintendent and COO, said. "The relationship with MIT will allow us to share — and to gain — from others in the field of invention education."
But what exactly is invention education?
The method helps students apply STEM knowledge to their daily lives by focusing on the invention of real-world solutions. LMIT offers evidence that this approach helps students with confidence and enables them to more easily understand STEM concepts.
"The PiE membership organization will bring forward best practices that already exist for invention education while exploring new ways of integrating invention education within Francis Tuttle Technology Center's unique equivalent," Stephanie Couch, Executive Director of LMIT, said. "Invention education can no longer exist solely as an extracurricular activity. We must reach all students, especially those who are underrepresented in STEM, and that means invention must fit within the school day."
Invention education brings to the classroom STEM knowledge that is normally reserved for extracurricular groups. This makes it more accessible to more students at once and expands opportunities to any student who may find an interest in STEM fields.
'Natural fit'
InvenTeams, LMIT’s flagship invention education high school grant initiative, has already produced tangible results. No fewer than 13 patents have come from that program, and other programs are creating more pathways to innovation.
It just so happens that Francis Tuttle already has a similar tradition.
"This partnership is a natural fit for us, because our high school students have earned 16 patents since 2015," Scott said.
In addition, the new Danforth Campus in Edmond has an entrepreneurship focus across the campus. It hosts the Entrepreneurship Academy, joining the Engineering, Computer Science and Biosciences and Medicine academies in bringing STEM knowledge to high school students.
LMIT Executive Director Couch was the keynote speaker at the grand opening of the Danforth Campus. This further establishes a partnership that can only support more Oklahoma students to success in STEM fields.